The Election, Its Significance

As we were finishing supper tonight, grandpa had this to say about the elections.

Well, boy, come January we will have a new President, a President as chosen by the people. He will be our President not the president of the select few because we all participated in the process that got him elected. He will be the president of those who voted for him. He will be the president of those who voted for his opponent. He will be the president of those who did not vote at all because he will be the president of this nation.

One thing though, boy. You will hear many that will refer to him as our first black man to be elected as president. I never want to hear those kind of words escaping out of your mouth. He is only a man just as we all are. Therefore, he should be treated as one. He will be the 43rd person to be the president of this great nation under this Constitution.

If race should not be a factor in whom we elect then race should not be factor in our reference of him either. To do so would declare that we should have been referring to Geo. Washington as our first white president all of these years and no one ever has. If there are those who find pride in the fact he is black then, fine, that is their pride. I want you to grow up in pride, not of the color of your skin, but in pride of what you will be, a man.

Now, is this the man I would have preferred to be elected? The answer is no but my voice is but whisper in the wind as it is in every election year. Will you hear a lot of griping come out of the mouth of this old geezer for the next four years? You can be very certain of that, boy. Maybe that is the most beautiful thing of our form of government. While our voices may be but whispers in the wind there are many nations whose voices are silent.

It never ceases to amaze me that there are those who see these nations whose voices be silent as being stable nations. That may be one of the greater faults of a world that is governed by men and not women. Women are mothers and as mothers, they know when she hears nothing but silence there is trouble brewing.

This is getting away from the issue though. The point I want you to understand, boy, is that we have elected a president as we do every four years. Whether or not it says anything in regards to race relationship is irrelevant. Whether or not Obama used race as a stepping stone to achieve his goal is irrelevant now. What is important is that you understand what all of this means in regards to you as you grow up and become a man. Becoming the president of this great nation is a great achievement for anyone, regardless of skin color. Becoming a man is even a greater achievement.”

With this said he pushed back his chair and as he was getting up he looked over to grandma and with a smile said “grandma, you pamper this old geezer too much by feeding him so well.”

I burst into laughter as grandma retorted with an impish grin, “ Remember, old man, you’re not the only one who eats around this house.”